She's not cute, she insists. She's beautiful. I don't know whether to agree or not, for to me she's both, but I am warmed to see how passionately loved she is already.

My mother-in-law sees smiles that I still can't quite see. Mademoiselle's expression of well-being, when she's happy and comfy and steadily looking at another person in her world, comes close, but I'm not sure I really think it's a smile. She doesn't smile in her sleep, either, and I haven't seen the famous, vague "sourires aux anges," or "angel smiles" of newborns.

She's been here less than two months and I already have a hard time remembering life before. I think I'm not the only one.

About Me

I was born in Seattle, but now live on the other side of the map, just outside of Paris. I fell in love with and married a Frenchman in Boston, and in 2003 we took the great leap across the Atlantic. In the summer of 2007 we welcomed our son, le Petit, and in late 2010 our daughter, Mademoiselle. This is the story of my life as a pseudo-Parisienne in my country of adoption. Contact me at parisiennemaispresque (at) gmail (dot-com).